He said he and his partner had pumped themselves up for the race by watching the Russell Crowe blockbuster Gladiator in the athletes’ village.

Satch said: “We’ve been in the pair for four and a bit months. Sometimes it’s bloody horrible training three times a day.” But after being presented with his medal he said: “It hasn’t sunk in. I’m very happy.”

His mother said: “He's driven and has been since he was a small boy.

“He's not necessarily a natural but he's a really hard worker and he believes in himself.”

Nash said: “We had belief in ourselves. We love rowing. It’s a pleasure.”

Guildford-born Nash, and Satch, from Maidenhead, finished behind the winners New Zealand and the second-placed French who held on to take silver by just half a second after holding off a desperate surge to the line from the GB pair.